


a wolf for christmas

by AlexiaBlackbriar13



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Queen Family, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 03:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13115253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaBlackbriar13/pseuds/AlexiaBlackbriar13
Summary: It’s the morning of December 25th, 3am, in the midst of a blizzard, and William finds a wolf curled up beneath the Christmas tree in their apartment's living room, fur crusted with snow and shaking from the cold. Obviously, it’s his gift from Santa.Felicity is working with the team at the bunker, and Will’s father is mysteriously missing. What’s a twelve year old kid to do?





	a wolf for christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know what happened tbh. I just... wrote this.
> 
> Happy Holidays :) Hope you enjoy!

William jolted awake from his particularly pleasant dream about playing baseball with his dad and Felicity due to a loud crash from the living room. Dazed and groggy from his tiredness, he glanced over at his bedside clock, grumbling under his breath when he realised it was nearing 3 am. December 25th - Christmas Day. He should have felt excited, but he was too exhausted. The noise was probably Felicity coming home super late from her Team Arrow duties, because superheroes still had to work in the holiday season, so William just clutched at his pillow and tried to force himself to fall back to sleep.

After five minutes of silence, however, there was another giant crash, followed by a quiet yelp that didn’t sound entirely human, and the sound of footsteps. That did not sound like Felicity. Terrified, William froze and stared at his closed bedroom door.

Heart pounding in his chest, he slowly slipped out of bed, attempting to be as quiet as possible. Scooping up his Nerf gun, which had been a unique Hanukkah present from Felicity, he crept towards the second door of his bedroom, which led out to the corridor which his father and stepmother’s bedroom was connected to. If somebody had broken into the apartment, then William needed to get his dad. He was amazed that Oliver hadn’t already been woken up by all the noise, to be honest. His dad was the Green Arrow; Will would have thought he’d be up and out of bed within seconds of hearing a potential intruder, kicking the person’s ass.

Shaking from his fear, Will quickly let himself into his parents’ bedroom, almost sobbing when he saw that neither Oliver nor Felicity were present. So Felicity was still out with Team Arrow, but where was his dad? Oliver had taken the night off Green Arrow duties because he and William had spent Christmas Eve watching festive movies and stuffing themselves with homemade mince pies together. Tiptoeing up to the bed, William placed his hand on the mattress, frowning when he felt that it was still slightly warm. So his dad had been at home. Had been in bed, in fact. But where had he gone?

Another crash from the living room. William flinched, stifling his gasp of horror with his hand over his mouth. His dad’s cell phone was still on the nightstand, which meant that Oliver hadn’t been planning on leaving the apartment. Grabbing it, Will hastily sent an SOS text to Felicity, and then to his Uncle Digg and Grandpa Lance just in case.

Felicity responded instantly.

_From: Wifey <3 - On our way. What’s happening?_

William managed to respond despite his trembling hands.

_To: Wifey <3 - its william. dads not here and i think some1s broke in what do i do_

_From: Wifey <3 - WILLIAM STAY IN OUR ROOM, LOCK THE DOOR. There’s a gun in the closet with my shoes, get it, remember how Dinah taught you to use it? STAY SAFE, ETA 10 mins._

_To: Wifey <3 - wheres dad is he with you?_

_From: Wifey <3 - Dont worry about Oliver buddy, worry about YOU. STAY SAFE. We’ll be there soon. Merry christmas btw NOW GO AND GET THE GUN AND LOCK THE DOOR._

William dropped the phone in shock when he heard another massive bang, luckily on the bed so it didn’t make any noise. He fell to his knees, breathing harshly in his fright as he crawled over to Felicity’s closet and found the handgun hidden there. Will had never felt more thankful that his Aunt Dinah had given him firearms training. After being kidnapped twice, William had wanted to learn to defend himself, and although his dad had argued against teaching him hand to hand, everybody had been in consensus that it was sensible for the twelve-year-old to know how to handle and shoot a gun.

Locking the bedroom door, he slid down it and brought his knees to his chest. His breathing was fast and shallow, almost as if he was on the verge of a panic attack. William listened intently, trying to figure out where exactly the intruder was in the apartment. He might need to move and lock himself in the bathroom if they tried to break down the door. He tried to focus on the memory of his dad telling him firmly that if he was ever under attack, he needed to remain calm and collected so he could think out a defensive strategy.

God, it was Christmas. And William was huddled in his parents’ bedroom with a gun, trying not to freak out because somebody had broken in. He needed his dad. Desperately. But he wasn’t here. William was alone. He’d have to defend himself if it came to it.

The long, chilling silence was broken by… whimpering? William shifted, confused. Like before, the sounds the intruder was making were not human. He waited a little longer, listening as the whimpering changed into pained whines and groans.

Hands much more steady than before, William swiped the phone back up.

_To: Wifey <3 - i dont think its a person i think its a dog???_

_From: Wifey <3 - What makes you think that?_

_To: Wifey <3 - its making all these noises and sounds like a dog im gonna go check it out_

_From: Wifey <3 - WILLIAM NO DONT LEAVE THE ROOM_

_To: Wifey <3 - ill be careful i promise an ill take the gun w me_

_From: Wifey <3 - DONT YOU DARE YOUNG MAN YOULL BE GROUNDED FOREVER_

Slipping the phone onto Do Not Disturb so it wouldn’t continue vibrating as Felicity texted him, William stood, unlocking the bedroom door. He checked the safety on the handgun before tucking it into the waistband of his menorah and bauble patterned pyjama pants. He held his breath, squashing down the fear causing his heart to race uncontrollably; he inched through a small opening in the door and began creeping towards the living room.

He was already trembling again by the time he reached the end of the corridor. Centering himself, William glanced around the dark space, taking in his surroundings. The balcony doors were wide open, and snow from the blizzard outside was blowing in, frigid wind sweeping through the apartment. William shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. There were a couple of things swept off the coffee table, and the stool they’d set up in the corner of the living room for Felicity’s menorah had been knocked over. Seeing as he couldn’t spot any intruder, he rushed across the room to close the doors, blocking out the snow, ice and wind. The floor and rug were soaked. Great, something his parents were likely to tell him off for, despite it not being his fault.

It was the dark lump lying underneath their Christmas tree that appeared to be breathing that caused William to jump in astonishment, scrambling for the light switch. As light flooded the room, a shudder ran through the lump and it released a throaty, agonised sound. It didn’t move beyond weakly shifting so it was covered more by the fronds of the tree, pushing a couple of wrapped presents aside to make space for itself.

William blinked.

It was not a dog.

Well. It kind of was. But just not the type of dog he’d been expecting.

“Santa, when I asked for a puppy, I did not expect a wolf,” William muttered under his breath.

He edged forwards cautiously, crouching slightly so he could examine the creature more closely. The wolf had curled up as tightly as possible to retain warmth, and it seemed to be freezing cold; there was snow crusted over its sandy blond pelt and it was shivering terribly. As William took another step, the wolf’s tail twitched and its ears flickered back. Very slowly, the canine raised its head, fixing a fierce, intense blue gaze on the boy. It didn’t seem hostile at all. It just looked… afraid. Hurt. And incredibly cold.

Whatever panic William had been feeling before dissipated; he was no longer scared. He was curious. How had the wolf got into the apartment? Obviously through the open balcony doors, but they were several floors up and the doors had been locked the last time he’d checked, which had been earlier that evening. Wolves weren’t even found in this area of the state. It made absolutely no sense for the predator to be here.

Making sure his movements were slow, clear and careful, William withdrew the handgun from his waistband and placed it on the kitchen counter, making sure the wolf saw that he wasn’t a threat. When the wolf didn’t react beyond narrowing his eyes slightly, William grabbed the woollen green blanket they kept on the couch and shook it out, kneeling. “Hi. You look cold. I’m not going to hurt you. Do you want to come out so we can get you warm?”

The wolf dipped his head (it was a he, William could see that now) and then tilted it, observing the boy with curiosity. Then, after a minute or so, the magnificent creature shuffled out from under the Christmas tree branched and struggled to his paws. He shook himself, scattering snow over the floor and exposing more of his light brown, tan coloured fur. Those ferocious cobalt eyes stayed focused on William as the wolf slunk towards him. His fur rippled as sleek, bunched muscles contracted smoothly beneath his skin; this was a strong and majestic predator, one that was near the top of his food chain - and knew it. In the weak light, William could see the lines of thick scar tissue covering the animal's body. This creature was a fighter, a warrior. Will should have been terrified of having those mighty jaws snap around his limbs because the wolf could very easily break his arm or leg in a single bite. But the wolf seemed... calm. Content. As long as William remained calm and didn't make any sudden movements, everything should be fine. The wolf settled on his haunches in front of the boy, ears perked. He made no move to attack or recoil away as William reached out to wrap the blanket around the canine. Startling a little as the wolf’s muzzle brushed against his wrists, William sat down in a cross-legged position as he watched the predator lie down, the blanket covering him.

“You’re not very scary,” William said, smiling.

The wolf huffed, jerking his head.

Eyes widening, he questioned, “Can you understand me?”

The wolf nodded.

“Wow, Santa really went overboard. A wolf that can understand English. I really would have just been happy with those new PS4 games I asked for.”

A hearty rumble that imitated a laugh erupted from the wolf’s throat. He shuffled on the floor so he was next to William and lowered his head so it was resting in the boy’s lap. Inhaling shakily, William stroked between the wolf’s ears, amazed that the wild creature was letting him pet him.

“This is really cool,” he murmured. “I’m not sure Dad will let me keep a wolf as a pet though.”

The wolf gave that laugh-rumble again.

“I guess since you’re a gift from Santa, he can’t let me not keep you.”

He suddenly remembered that Felicity and the rest of Team Arrow were coming, under the impression that their apartment had been broken into and William was under attack. He pulled his dad’s phone out of his pocket, beginning to text. The wolf didn’t seem to care, just snuffling at the creases of his elbows and wrists.

_To: Wifey <3 - false alarm, not an intruder, santa got me a pet wolf for christmas and he was just dropping him off_

_From: Wifey <3 - ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?_

“Do you mind if I take a photo of you to send to Felicity?” William questioned the wolf. The canine cocked his head sideways, licking his fangs. “She’s my step-mom. She’s awesome. I don’t know if she’ll let me keep you but I’m sure she’ll like you if she sees you’re not dangerous.”

The wolf appeared amused. He nodded. William snapped a selfie of himself and the wolf nuzzling his neck affectionately and sent it to Felicity.

_From: Wifey <3 - Sorry buddy. It’s a long story but that is not a pet wolf that Santa got you._

_To: Wifey <3 - well what else could he be_

_From: Wifey <3 - Like I said, long story. We just pulled up on the street, I’ll be up there in a min or two._

Felicity arrived very quickly after that, not looking at all surprised by the sight of William sitting on the floor with his wolf lying next to him. In fact, she looked resigned - maybe even a little exasperated. She called back to the others who had rushed to the apartment with her as backup to fight the ‘intruder’ that everything was okay, saying goodbye to them all before closing the door. Shucking her jacket and throwing it carelessly somewhere (which the wolf growled at), she joined William on the floor, groaning as she stretched her legs out.

“So,” she said. “That’s a wolf.”

“Yup.”

“A wolf that you found in our living room.”

“Underneath the Christmas tree.”

Felicity rolled her eyes, muttering sarcastically, “Of course he was under the Christmas tree.”

“So he’s my pet now.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“That’s not your pet,” Felicity sighed. “That’s your dad.”

William stared at her. He turned and looked at the wolf. The wolf gazed back at him with those oh-so-familiar blue eyes, and he looked sheepish, almost apologetic. William turned back to Felicity. “I’m sorry, _what?_ ”

Felicity pointed outside the window. “The moon right now is in a waning crescent phase. The next full moon is on January 1st as the year switches over, and happens when the Earth, Moon and Sun are all in line. It’s called a Wolf Moon.”

“Yeah. So?”

“Your dad is a werewolf.”

William felt as if he was doing a pretty amazing deer in the headlights impression.

“And in the month up to the Wolf Moon, he’s going to randomly transform in his sleep and not be able to switch back until he has enough energy. He was planning on telling you later today so that we could all be together when he transforms on the Wolf Moon, but I guess the urge came and… This happened.”

William’s brain felt like mush trying to process this. “Dad… is a werewolf.”

“Yeah.”

He poked at the wolf, who snorted. “This is Dad.”

“Afraid so, buddy.”

“So I can’t keep him as a pet.”

Felicity grinned. “Sorry.”

“That’s disappointing.” William let his hands fall into his lap.

“Yeah, I know.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “I’m sorry?”

“That’s ridiculous. Dad’s not a werewolf.”

“And you think Santa bringing you a pet wolf is more believable?” Felicity laughed in disbelief.

“Obviously.”

Felicity looked up towards the ceiling and William could have sworn she muttered, “Heaven help us,” before turning to glare at the wolf, who blinked back at her innocently. “You’re not going to say anything?”

The wolf swished his tail, brushing it against Felicity’s arm. He made a soft sound and rested his head on William’s thigh, nudging the boy to encourage him to stroke him. William ran his fingers through the wolf’s sandy fur with a triumphant smile.

“Oliver, I swear to god, I will find and burn _all_ your Christmas socks,” Felicity threatened, crossing her arms over her chest warningly.

“If Dad was a werewolf, he would have told me by now,” William insisted. He was beginning to get agitated. Felicity seemed very firm in her belief of this wolf being his father, but there was no way it was possible. It couldn’t be possible. Because if it were true, it meant his dad had been lying and hiding a vital part of his life from William for half a year. “It’s been six months since he took me in after Lian Yu. _Six months_ , Felicity. He would have told me by now that he turns into a wolf, or I would have found out.”

His stepmom’s guilty expression did nothing to calm William down. “Buddy, I know, and I’m sorry, we meant to tell you by now, but there was never a proper time.” Glancing over at the wolf, she said sternly, “Oliver, go and change back. I’m not handling this by myself.”

The wolf huffed, rising to his paws. William hung onto his fur, trying to insist on him staying, but the canine nipped him lightly on the fingers so he released him. Trotting off into the corridor, tail sweeping the floor behind him, he vanished into the corridor leading to their bedrooms, which was still cloaked in darkness as the lights hadn’t been turned on there.

Barely a minute later, Oliver appeared, wearing the same menorah and bauble decorated pyjamas that his son was. He appeared haggard and exhausted, his hair sticking up in all directions and dark rings of black around his eyes. Blue eyes. That were the exact same as the wolf’s.

“Hey, buddy,” he croaked, managing a smile. “Sadly, new PS4 games as a gift from Santa is a safer bet than a pet wolf.”

He hadn’t told Oliver or Felicity that he wanted new PS4 games for Christmas. The only person he’d asked for PS4 games for was Santa, in his letter. And the only person that William had _told_ he’d asked Santa for PS4 games was...

“No,” William denied. “That’s not - you can’t - _no_.”

“Surprise?”

“This _can’t_ be happening…”

“I was going to tell you,” his dad said, collapsing down on the couch. He looked so tired and so awful that William just couldn’t be mad at him. “I’m sorry. It’s just… the last six months have been difficult for us and I was struggling to get you to like me even when you didn’t know I can into a giant predator.”

“You still should have told me,” William insisted, standing. “You _should have_.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Will shook his head, frustrated.

“Really. I am. I was going to tell you today. We’re finally in a good place, we’re a family and we all love each other and - bud, I’ve wanted to tell you the moment we moved in here together. But I couldn’t risk it. I - I couldn’t risk you freaking out and running away or calling the police. I can’t lose you, William. I wouldn’t survive it.”

The raw vulnerability in his dad’s voice caused William to deflate, all his anger leaking out of him. Felicity’s hand on his shoulder urged him to take a seat next to his father on the couch, and he did so, scooting up so she could slide in next to him. After a moment, William lunged forwards and threw his arms around Oliver’s neck, hugging him. His dad inhaled sharply, going completely rigid for a moment as if in shock. William didn’t release his arms, clambering closer so he could fully cuddle with his father, burying his face into Oliver’s neck.

“You’re not going to lose me. I’m not gonna leave,” William whispered. “I just wish you’d told me before. No more lies about being a supernatural creature of the night, alright?”

Oliver embraced him back, and there was relief in his voice as he agreed, “Yeah, I promise.”

Leaning back, William looked between his dad and Felicity, lightening the mood as he questioned, “So no pet wolf?”

“No,” Oliver laughed. “Just a wolf dad.”

“A pretty cool wolf dad,” Felicity added, winking. "Merry Christmas. Good Christmas present, huh?"

William gasped, swivelling around so he could look at his stepmom. “Are you a werewolf too!?”

“Nope, plain old human here,” she responded. “Your dad’s the only canine in this family.”

“Yep.” Oliver ran a hand through his hair, smiling awkwardly. 

“Wait, so werewolves exist.”

“Yep.”

“Vampires?”

“Well -”

“Zombies? Mummies? Elves?”

“Don’t be silly, of course elves don’t exist.”

“Right, of course. Of course, elves don’t exist. How silly of me. It’s stupid to think elves exist, even when I now know that werewolves do.”

“Mummies don’t exist either.”

“Next you’re going to tell me that Santa isn’t real.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave kudos and comment!
> 
> Tumblr: @alexiablackbriar13  
> Twitter: @lexiblackbriar


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